Permanent defects in renal medullary structure and function after reversal of urinary obstruction.

Urinary obstruction causes injury to the renal medulla, impairing the ability to concentrate urine, and increasing the risk of progressive kidney disease. However, the regenerative capacity of the renal medulla after reversal of obstruction is poorly understood. To investigate this, we developed a mouse model of reversible urinary obstruction.

Delay discounting predicts COVID-19 vaccine booster willingness.

Developing ways to predict and encourage vaccine booster uptake are necessary for durable immunity responses. In a multi-nation sample, recruited in June-August 2021, we assessed delay discounting (one's tendency to choose smaller immediate rewards over larger future rewards), COVID-19 vaccination status, demographics, and distress level. Participants who reported being vaccinated were invited back one year later (n = 2547) to report their willingness to receive a booster dose, along with reasons for their decision.

Human keratinocytes grown at a gas-permeable interface in vitro stratify correctly to generate engineered human epidermis.

Background: One of the key functions of human skin is to provide a barrier, protecting the body from the surrounding environment and maintaining homeostasis of the internal environment. A mature, stratified epidermis is critical to achieve skin barrier function and is particularly important when producing skin grafts in vitro for wound treatment. For decades epidermal stratification has been achieved in vitro by culturing keratinocytes at an air-liquid interface, triggering proliferating basal keratinocytes to differentiate and form all epidermal layers.

Perceptions of cultural and provisioning ecosystem services and human wellbeing indicators amongst indigenous communities neighbouring the greater limpopo transfrontier conservation area.

Nature plays a crucial role in providing ecosystem services (ESs) essential for human wellbeing and biodiversity conservation in rural areas. However, existing paradigms often lack an integrative approach towards rural livelihoods and wellbeing, highlighting the need for a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between human wellbeing (HWB) and ESs. The area around the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) offers such ESs to indigenous people who rely heavily on these natural resources.

A Comprehensive Review on the Application of Artificial Intelligence for Predicting Postsurgical Recurrence Risk in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Computed Tomography, Positron Emission Tomography, and Clinical Data.

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite advancements in early detection and treatment, postsurgical recurrence remains a significant challenge, occurring in 30%-55% of patients within 5 years after surgery. This review analysed existing studies on the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI), incorporating CT, PET, and clinical data, for predicting recurrence risk in early-stage NSCLCs.

The Impact of Gender, Ethnicity, and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Organ Donation Intentions Over 50 Years in New Zealand.

Aim: To identify the demographics and trends of individuals intending to donate their organs, based on intentions at the time of driver's license registration.

Methods: Data were collected from 4 742 475 individuals first registering for a New Zealand (NZ) driver's license, between January 1, 1974, and November 16, 2023, with positive or negative organ donor intentions recorded. Gender, ethnicity, and year of registration were collected.

Impact of early versus late artificial rupture of membranes during oxytocin induction of labour on the incidence of chorioamnionitis: a randomised controlled trial (ARM trial).

Background: The approach to induction of labour differs internationally, with timing of amniotomy being controversial. Some institutions favour performing artificial rupture of membranes prior to commencement of oxytocin infusion, with the belief that the labour will progress more efficiently. In other institutions, the approach recommended is for oxytocin infusion with intact amniotic membranes until the person has reached the active phase of labour, citing risk of infection with early amniotomy.

We cannot repeat history again: a call to action to centre indigenous leadership as we prepare for the next pandemic.

Indigenous communities worldwide continue to disproportionately bear the burden during pandemics due to ongoing health inequities and systemic exclusion from pandemic decision-making processes. As the global community prepares for the next pandemic, it is critical to prioritise Indigenous leadership and governance within public health responses. This commentary highlights successful models of Indigenous-led pandemic responses during COVID-19 in Canada and Australia.

A dataset of Antarctic ecosystems in ice-free lands: classification, descriptions, and maps.

Antarctica, Earth's least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species and genetic diversity, deliver essential ecosystem services and contribute to planetary stability. We present Antarctica's first comprehensive ecosystem classification and map of ice-free lands, which host most of the continent's biodiversity.

Characterisation of pregnancy-induced alterations in apolipoproteins and their associations with maternal metabolic risk factors and offspring birth outcomes: a preconception and longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Apolipoproteins as an integral part of lipoproteins are crucial for the transport and metabolism of lipids. However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies to quantify the concentrations of maternal apolipoproteins from preconception to postpartum and their associations with maternal metabolic health and offspring birth outcomes.

Methods: Quantification of apolipoproteins was performed on maternal plasma samples (N = 243 trios) collected at preconception, 26-28 weeks' pregnancy, and three months postpartum in the Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) cohort study.

Bi-ventricular elastic material parameters estimation using 3D CMR myocardial strains in rheumatic heart disease patients.

Understanding the elastic material behavior of myocardium during the diastolic phase is critical for evaluating cardiac function and improving treatments for diastolic abnormalities. This study introduces a novel multi-objective optimization framework that incorporates both strain and volume measurements to enhance the accuracy of myocardial property assessments in Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) patients and healthy controls. By employing global volume and strain measurements instead of segmented strains from the sixteen AHA regions, we achieve a robust alignment with the Klotz curve across all groups, indicating an accurate simulation of end-diastolic pressure-volume relationships (EDPVRs).

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Systemic inequities in alcohol licensing: Case studies in eight Aotearoa New Zealand communities.

Introduction: Many countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand, have socioeconomic and ethnic inequities in alcohol outlet density, yet the potential contribution of alcohol licensing systems is almost unexplored. After licensing reforms in Aotearoa in 2012, community groups and Māori (the Indigenous people) continued to struggle to influence decisions, prompting calls for reform and authority for Māori reflecting Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations. This study explored factors in the failure of public objections in under-resourced neighbourhoods.

Integrating deliberate shaking into daily living: a paradoxical exercise for Parkinsonian tremor.

Purpose: Medication often falls short in controlling tremors in Parkinson's disease. While physical activities suggest potential benefits, current exercise regimes have limitations. This paper explores the concept of deliberate shaking as an intervention to aid exercise uptake and potentially leverage synergies between medication and physical activity.

Wellbeing and quality of life among parents of individuals with Fontan physiology.

Purpose: To examine global and health-related quality of life (QOL) among parents of individuals with Fontan physiology and determine associations with sociodemographic, parent and child-related health, psychological, and relational factors.

Methods: Parents participating in the Australian and New Zealand Fontan Registry (ANZFR) QOL Study (N = 151, Parent Mean age = 47.9 ± 10.

All-round enhancement induced by oxophilic single Ru and W atoms for alkaline hydrogen oxidation of tiny Pt nanoparticles.

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are one of the ideal energy conversion devices. However, platinum (Pt), as the benchmark catalyst for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) of AEMFCs anodes, still faces issues of insufficient performance and susceptibility to CO poisoning. Here, we report the Joule heating-assisted synthesis of a small sized RuPt single-atom alloy catalyst loaded on nitrogen-doped carbon modified with single W atoms (s-RuPt@W/NC), in which the near-range single Ru atoms on the RuPt nanoparticles and the long-range single W atoms on the support simultaneously modulate the electronic structure of the active Pt-site, enhancing alkaline HOR performance of s-RuPt@W/NC.

Deep Learning-Enabled Assessment of Right Ventricular Function Improves Prognostication After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair for Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function has a well-established prognostic role in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and is typically assessed using echocardiography-measured tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion. Recently, a deep learning model has been proposed that accurately predicts RV ejection fraction (RVEF) from 2-dimensional echocardiographic videos, with similar diagnostic accuracy as 3-dimensional imaging. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the deep learning-predicted RVEF values in patients with severe MR undergoing TEER.

Does Self-Compassion Expressive Writing Benefit People With an Ostomy? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a self-compassion expressive writing activity could improve psychological well-being in people with an ostomy, as assessed by changes in body image distress, ostomy-specific quality of life (QOL), self-compassion, and dispositional disgust.

Design: Randomized controlled trial design was used.

Subjects And Setting: The sample comprised 175 English-speaking patients over 18 years of age with a fecal or urinary ostomy; all participants resided in Australia and New Zealand.

Sensory processing patterns and their relationships to coping and occupational engagement in mental health service users.

Introduction: Mental health service users often have sensory processing difficulties hampering their ability to cope with mental health problems and occupational engagement. However, there is little knowledge of sensory processing and its relation to these factors. Hence, this current study aims to investigate sensory processing patterns in relation to coping and occupational engagement for the target group.

Optimizing LiNO Conversion through a Defective Carbon Matrix as Catalytic Current Collectors for Highly Durable and Fast-Charging Li Metal Batteries.

Lithium nitrate (LiNO) stands as an effective electrolyte additive, mitigating the degradation of Li metal anodes by forming a LiN-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, its conversion kinetics are impeded by energy-consuming eight-electron transfer reactions. Herein, an isoreticular metal-organic framework-8-derived carbon is incorporated into the carbon cloth (RMCC) as a catalytic current collector to regulate the LiNO conversion kinetics and boost LiN generation inside the SEI.

Emulation of the subjective experience of visual dorsal stream dysfunction: a description of three in depth case studies.

These case studies explore the subjective visual experiences of individuals with cerebral visual impairment (CVI), specifically dorsal stream dysfunction (DSD) characterized by simultanagnosia. Through three in-depth case studies, this work documents the challenges these individuals face when navigating cluttered environments. The individuals were asked to describe their visual experiences while watching videos of varying complexity, with the future aim of creating a simulation of simultanagnosia.

Slipping Through the Cracks? Concussion Management in Aotearoa New Zealand Secondary Schools.

Background: Concussion-related guidelines appear to be inconsistently implemented in secondary schools in Aotearoa New Zealand. The purpose of this qualitative Participatory Action Research study was to describe key school stakeholders' perceptions of their current concussion management processes.

Methods: Seventeen focus groups, two dyad, and nine individual interviews were conducted with stakeholders (n = 95) from six secondary schools and healthcare clinics, exploring their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to concussion management.